Pollyanne
Pollyanne is an ex-slave who fled River Run after she became implicated in a botched abortion. Personal History Pollyanne was taken from Africa and sold in the British Colonies for two hundred pounds to Jocasta Cameron. Outlander series ''Drums of Autumn Jamie and Claire Fraser discover a woman bleeding to death in the overseer's quarters of the mill at River Run. Though it seemed that the woman, who was a stranger, had sought the aid of another person to perform an abortion, there was no sign of another person in the mill. They strongly suspect the woman had help, but decide to insist to Farquard Campbell that she did it alone, and then covertly inquire, with Phaedre's help, whether any slaves that live near the mill have gone missing. Phaedre quickly discerns that a slave woman named Pollyanne was absent from her quarters, which look as though she left in a hurry. After three days of searching, Duncan Innes and Young Ian find Pollyanne in the woods and bring her back to River Run. Jamie arranges to relocate Pollyanne, with help from John Quincy Myers, to an Indian tribe in the mountains. There, she will be safer from Sergeant Murchison, who has declared the woman's death a murder and ordered a search for the slave responsible. They leave under cover of darkness a few days later. Pollyanne appears to have never ridden a horse before, and is too stricken with fear to hold the reins to her mount. Instead, they put her behind Claire on hers instead, and Pollyanne grips Claire's waist tightly as they ride. As she becomes more comfortable with Claire, and braves her own mount, the two women talk in a mixture of Gaelic, English, and Pollyanne's own native language. Claire doesn't understand much of her speech, but Pollyanne uses expressive body language, revealing a "naturally effervescent personality". While stopped for their last night together, before Myers will go with Pollyanne to Indian territory and Jamie and Claire will continue on their own to survey the land, Myers mentions that the Indians will likely accept Pollyanne as a good prospect for a mate. In so doing, he looks at her appreciatively, and a subtle change comes over her; a new awareness of Myers' attraction infused with desire and invitation. Jamie and Claire have a wordless exchange, ending with Jamie hoping aloud to Myers that Pollyanne will not be misused in any way, and that he, Myers, will ensure her safety. Myers answers affirmatively, slightly embarrassed, and later that night, Claire contemplates Pollyanne's situation as she hears the discreet noises of their intimacy; what it is like to depend on a man for protection, and what one might be willing to do to ensure that security. Several years later, while on their mission to rescue Roger, Claire meets Pollyanne once again, now with a young child in tow. Claire asks her what she should do with Nayawenne's medicine bag, and Pollyanne informs her that the Indians would fear it, believing it to possess some essence of its former owner. For her part, Pollyanne grew up without fear of ghosts, and in fact the people of her birth felt quite close to their ancestors' spirits, often retaining some token of an ancestor's body for protection or advice. Before the Frasers leave, Pollyanne tells them that the night at the mill where the woman bled to death, she saw a man leaving the overseer's quarters, and she describes Sergeant Murchison. She explains that she saw him leave, and went to the place he had left, but smelled blood and knew something evil had happened there, so she didn't go inside. Personality Once she has warmed up to an acquaintance, Pollyanne is voluble and engaging. Physical Appearance She is very short, no more than four feet tall, with a very rotund figure and cheeks so round her eyes are slanted above them. Her skin is dark, the color of burnt coffee. She wears her hair closely cropped and has a very deep voice. Name *'Pollyanne''' is a combination of the names Polly and Anne. **'Polly' is a medieval variant of Molly, ultimately derived from Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), possibly meaning "bitterness" or "rebellion".Behind the Name: Polly. Accessed 24 August 2017.Behind the Name: Mary. Accessed 24 August 2017. **'Anne' is the French form of Anna, derived from the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) meaning "favor" or "grace".Behind the Name: Anne. Accessed 24 August 2017.Behind the Name: Hannah. Accessed 24 August 2017. Trivia *It is unknown what Pollyanne's given name had been before she was sold into slavery. TV Series Gallery References Category:Characters Category:18th century characters Category:Female characters Category:Characters in Drums of Autumn Category:African characters